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Chap. ._____. Copyright No. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 







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VOLUME I. 



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SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
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PART I. 



VACATION VAGARIES 



BY 
SIMPLEX. 



CHICAGO: 

SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
73 West Adams Street, 

1900. 



5225 

Library of Conprreas 

Two Copies Received 

JAN 11 »901 

Copyright entry 

SECOND COPY 



Copyright, 1900, 

by 

Robert J. Buchanan. 



VACATION VAGARIES. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Have you ever felt physically, mentally and mor- 
ally tired? Well, if you have, you will know how 
I was feeling when the happy thought came to me 
to throw my business cares aside and set out for the 
Mediterranean Sea upon a short vacation trip to 
Europe. 

"It is my intention to sail from New York ; and dur- 
ing my trip I shall probably have some interesting 
experiences to record, but, indeed, I fancy I will have 
no choice in the matter, as they will probably come 
bubbling up in spite of me, for you know that "out 
of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh." 

The happy thought that I was head-tired came to 
me after a delicious breakfast one morning in St. 
Louis. In order that you may better realize my 
temperament and general disposition, I feel bound 
to give an account of myself; I am a theorist — I 
wrestle with the abstract, but at the same time still 
remaining one who retains a few of his youthful 
visions and some of his early enthusiasm and spir- 
itual insight. 

Now I do not intend that these notes shall in the 
least measure develop into an autobiography, for 
then you would realize that moral tiredness which 
overtakes those who are bored by the inanities of 
an uneventful life ; but it must be remembered that 
"platitudes" are self-evident propositions, and I hope 
that these jottings on a summer vacation may be 



4 VACATION VAGARIES. 

so self-evident as to become mere "platitudes" to 
those who are well informed, while to the uninitiated 
they may prove as lights in the darkness, and may 
shine upon their ignorance and be considered by 
them as the wisdom of Solomon ; therefore, I do not 
address myself to the ultra smart people, but to my 
fellows and equals — stupid people — assuring them, 
that, believing that I have had a large share of per- 
sonal stupidity in my own experience, the same be- 
ing duly "rubbed in," I can sympathize with them, 
having suffered, and will try to prove to them that 
after all they may not be so very stupid as may ap- 
pear, for I believe in such cases it is only that one's 
education has been deficient along certain orthodox 
lines. 

I will now say good-by to you, until ready for our 
journey across the ocean which, let me hope, will 
be of mutual pleasure and profit. 

THE AUTHOR. 



VACATION VAGARIES. 




THE JOURNEY BEGUN. 

Leaving Pittsburgh by the evening train on the 
Pennsylvania Railroad, I retire as soon as the porter 
has my berth ready for me, as I feel tired after the 
excitement of preparing for my tour, but as often 
in such cases sleep forsook my eyelids, so I raise 
the window blind and commune with darkened Na- 
ture as we speed along over the mountains; the 
deep emerald, tints of the foliage merging almost 
imperceptibly into black in the darkness of the night, 
and over all the inky blue Heavens are above us, with 
the stars to guard us as we gradually slip away into 
the land of peace, where "the raveled sleeve of care is 
knitted up" for the morrow's struggle ; it is thus that 
my eyelids unconsciously close, to open again only 
when morning peeps under them. 



RAILROAD MUSIC, 

Did you ever realize the number of sounds that are 
blended into a rather harmonious grumble upon the 



VACATION VAGARIES. 




VACATION VAGARIES. 7 

average American railroad car, with the click and 
thump of the wheels passing over the ends of the 
rails, keeping time as i£ were ? Sometimes the higher 
notes of conversation break out above the dull rum- 
bling of the wheels and are unmistakable when these 
suddenly stop and the noise by degrees ceases as 
in an orchestra where the small wind instruments 
are more distinctly heard when the conductor silences 
the bass. In such a situation, one has almost been 
compelled to shout in order to be heard by one's 
nearest neighbor, and may have had the awkward 
experience of being left floundering high and dry 
upon a loud and high pitch, when such a compara- 
tive calm unexpectedly intervened between the storm- 
ing undertones of the wheels, reminding one of the 
conversation between two ladies at church who were 
enjoying an animated discussion to the accompani- 
ment of a thundering "fugue" in an organ voluntary, 
which, after the climax had been reached, suddenly 
dwindled down into a light treble like the wail of a 
disembodied spirit as in Gluck's "Orpheus," then in 
all parts of the church could be heard distinctly the 
loud voice of one of. those "mothers of Israel" saying 
to the other, "we fry ours in butter." 

Do you know this railroad music, which is a pecul- 
iar intermingling of the wailing of puling infants, and 
the crying of "brats" who do so out of sheer spite 
and bad temper; of course those who have wind 
colic deserving our sympathy, as well as their moth- 
ers, but especially their fathers, who in such a pre- 
dicament, usually look perplexed, as the average 



8 VACATION VAGARIES. 

man is often most inadequate as far as the question 
of bringing up the family is concerned? Added to 
these noises we hear the giggle of the young miss 
in her teens, flirting with her "fellow," and the strid- 
ent voice of the stern spinster, who openly declares 
herself against the rights of the weaker sex — man. 

On one short railroad trip, at a way station, an in- 
valid lady supported by the arm of her daughter or 
younger sister, came on board the train, the elder 
lady with that sad and suffering expression of those 
who are battling against great odds, and you will 
realize how distressing this railroad hubbub must 
have been to such a couple, and while the invalid 
sometimes moaned as if her nerves were racked, by 
pain, the younger lady felt the disturbing noises more 
distressing, as oftentimes the stronger body has the 
larger capacity for suffering ; had it not been for sym- 
pathizing with these ladies in their pain, probably 
the orchestral effect of the noise would never have 
been specially noticed by the writer. 

In this commotion a compensation is found for the 
onlooker in a quiet study of the idiosyncrasies of his 
fellow passengers. 

NEW YORK. 

At Jersey City we take the Twenty-third Street 
Kerry, and upon arriving in New York drive to our 
hotel for breakfast, after which there is much to ar- 
range preparatory to sailing in the afternoon; there 
is no city in the United States, and perhaps in the 
world, where a more delightful sojourn may be made 



VACATION VAGARIES. 




10 VACATION VA G ARIES. 

than in New York; so many things conspire to add 
to the satisfaction of the visitor; whether there on 
pleasure or on business, all unite in hearty praise. 
There is an air of substantial prosperity, as if it was 
being well looked after by the City fathers; but I 
feel ashamed, however, of what I once saw on a street 
car ride on the East Side, the densely populated and 
poorer district of the city with its over-crowding; 
but I only refer to this darker phase to be found in 
the life of large cities ; however, it is not possible for 
us to enjoy life were we constantly to have before 
us a picture of how the other half of the world lives, 
nor is it desirable to have this experience hang over 
us like the sword of Damocles suspended by a hair. 
However, let us not be too overweening in our con- 
fidence as to forget that the danger to our civiliza- 
tion lurks in such breeding-places of vice. 

After lunch, when the time arrives to leave for the 
steamer, we enjoy our first ride in an automobile, 
and the experience is decidedly pleasant with noth- 
ing in front of us as we speed down Broadway, at 
Madison Square turning down Fifth Avenue, and 
thence by sundry intricate ways which I can not re- 
call, we at last arrive at the dock ready to embark. 

FAREWELL TO AMERICA. 

All who have crossed the ocean know that in the 
excitement and flurry of getting on board only our 
own affairs claim attention, and we often forget to 



VACATION VAGARIES. 



11 




12 VACATION VAGARIES. 

be decently polite. In this connection I would em- 
phasize the fact that much discomfort will be avoided 
if the traveler makes it a point to be a little ahead 
of time in matters of keeping engagements ; but no- 
where are the rewards more manifest than in getting 
aboard a vessel for a trip abroad. 

The first half hour is one of excitement, and we 
recall little of what happens therein ; to tell the truth, 
most of us are not accountable for our actions, and 
I feel assured that the recording angel sheds a tear 
upon this record of man's selfish impatience and lack 
of consideration for the comfort of his fellows. 

After the settling process, and we begin to feel 
that we can add nothing to our personal arrange- 
ments and comfort, we become cheery again, and 
some are quite hilarious in farewells to friends who 
have come to wish "bon voyage;" and then we are 
off. 

The flutter of handkerchiefs from ship to shore, 
let us hope, are a type of the white wings of peace 
which may attend our voyage. 

At last we are away, and feel just a little forlorn 
among the strange half-sad faces of those who take 
a long last look at the City, which now stands as the 
emblem of their native land, as it recedes- into the 
distance, so soon to be shut out from view by the 
headlands in front of us ; — Oh, Goddess of Liberty, 
standing with uplifted arm and torch ! proclaiming 
liberty and brotherhood; not even in thy fair birth- 
place — France — shall we find such a scene of placid 



VACATION VAGARIES 



13 



grandeur and beauty as in New York harbor with 
its commingling of noisy maritime commerce ; fare- 
well, fair land ! 




FELLOW PASSENGERS. 

The dinner gong sounds, the passengers assemble ; 
some have sought "the Captain's table," as the acme 
of all that is perfect in the management of the ship, 
where the Master's eye is sharp to keep the stewards 
up to the excellence of the ship's standard ; but hav- 
ing no special influence, and feeling bored by arrange- 
ments in general, I have bidden dull care adieu, and 
content myself with "pot luck," which now promises 
to be also "fool's luck" and good. On my left, on 
the right of our presiding officer, who, I am told, 
will be the Purser, sits an English lady, who has an 
air of that delicious freedom which comes with good 
breeding. I have been told that she has passed with 
honors the "tripos" examination in one of the sister 
colleges at Cambridge, England, and I am awed, and 



14 VACATION VAGARIES. 

feel as if walking on ice ; her name is, I think, Miss 
Carey, and I have seen her pointed at, and heard 
the whisper "she's an Anarchist," which is most in- 
teresting, for not being overburdened with this 
world's goods, I feel that this class can have no 
grudge against me. 

At first we are all very silent, and on our good be- 
havior, so that Miss Carey, who has crossed and re- 
crossed many times, turned to me and said, "Oh, 
dear me ! why won't they talk ; this is the dullest 
crowd I've ever seen?" but I sententiously reply, 
"wait till we get started." 

The Purser being busy with financial matters does 
not favor us with his presence at our first meal, so 
that except from a few business remarks I know 
nothing of him, but he seems to be a nice young 
man, with a frank face, quiet laughing eyes and a 
mouth which indicates a firm, but gentle, purpose 
to keep straight in his accounting. He has won my 
heart, and I begin to think of the many hard problems 
we shall solve, little thinking as I look back that I 
reckoned without my host, and never dreaming that 
I had become a neophyte in the great school of the- 
oretic accounting; thus is it ever that we build in 
the dark the foundations of character, and as the 
most important part of any material temple is laid 
far below the surface upon the bed rock, so also in 
character that which has been rough, crude and un- 
sightly suddenly appears at the surface, and we hear 
the imperative command, Build ! 

Asking the reader's pardon for the digression, we 



VACATION VAGARIES. 15 

will return to dinner. Across the table from Miss 
Carey sits Mr. Goldey, who is a successful financier, 
and, by the way, is also an elder in the Church of 
Scotland. Judging from his manner, he is an edu- 
cated and polished man of the world; but a mutual 
friend has told me he is a "stickler" for "orthodoxy," 
or, as he is pleased to style it, "the faith once de- 
livered to the fathers." Next to Mr. Goldey, and 
directly opposite myself, is a young man called Mr. 
Golightly, of Boston, a recent graduate from An- 
dover, who looks quite pale and fagged out, and also 
with that yellow tinge that comes when the liver fails 
to do its work, or has been overtaxed by baked beans 
and pie. I am always sorry for such students, who 
can not curb the lusts of the flesh within their powers 
of assimilation ; but they have their reward. 

"Mr. Golightly," says Mr. Goldey, "my friend, Mr. 
Minty, of Boston, writes me that you are in thought 
somewhat of a mystic, but a member in good stand- 
ing in his Church, which I understand you collo- 
quially call 'the orthodox church/ to distinguish it 
from the heterodox 'Unitarians.' I myself, am a 'true 
blue' Presbyterian, as were my fathers before me. 
I am pleased to have such a 'sound' young man be- 
side me, and hope we may become friends," 

At this speech I noticed that Mr. Golightly seemed 
to fidget rather uneasily, and he stammered out: 
"Well, Mr. Goldey, I like to be as honest with my 
friends as with myself, and while, as you say, I belong 
to 'the orthodox church,' I am not orthodox where 
orthodoxy is unscriptural." But he is cut short by 



16 VACATION VAGARIES. 

Mr. Goldey saying: "But, my dear boy, don't you 
know that orthodoxy is always scriptural, and also in 
accordance with common sense? What you require 
is a blue pill, and then you will be all right. I am 
troubled with a torpid liver sometimes, and know 
how the 'blue devils' feel; so brace up, and don't be 
an ass." To which friendly advice Mr. Golightly 
responds : "Well, I am not so sure ..." but I 
fail to catch what follows, as the clatter of the plates 
shuts out the conversation across the table, and I 
am aware that Miss Carey has nearly finished her 
soup, while I have been only pretending to eat while 
drinking in the affairs of my neighbors. 

Miss Carey informs me that she is a vegetarian, 
but upon scientific principles, as she understands the 
principles of food analysis, and the relative values of 
foods in point of nutriment ; I can not recall all she 
recommended in place of meat ; but cheese, nuts, 
grains and fruit played an important part in our dis- 
cussion, and I am sure, with her rosy cheeks and 
bright, sparkling eyes, she would have carried con- 
viction to even the most skeptical ; but I could not 
refrain from a covert smile when she half-apologet- 
ically remarked that she only indulged in soup when 
she could not get her usual assortment of aliment; 
but I have no doubt in my mind that she considered 
it a rare treat, by trre manifest relish she exhibited 
in its consumption. 

Our first meal, which had such a quiet beginning, 
had a most felicitous close. Thus is it ever when 
one forgets one's self and becomes natural. I have 



VACATION VAG ABIES. 17 

no doubt Miss Carey's secret comment at the end 
of this meal was, "I think I will like my neighbor; 
but oh, what a talker !" But then I do not think she 
should have been the one to find fault, for I had the 
greatest difficulty in getting a word in edgeways, and 
frequently, in sheer desperation, had literally to hold 
her with my eye, when I began to talk. "I have 
strange power of speech; that moment that his face 
I see, I know the man that must hear me; to him 
my tale I teach." 

THE FIRST EVENING. 

We pass over that delightful feeling of exhilaration 
and contentment which comes to one after a hearty 
and satisfactory repast, which condition is usually 
in order when one's jaded appetite has been touched 
up by the first sniff of the brine-laden breezes. 

At 9 o'clock a small party of congenial spirits sit 
silently upon deck, and breathe in the majesty of our 
surroundings, and in that frame of mind, which is 
peculiarly adapted to moralizing; when we suddenly 
hear the soft muffled tones of our young Andover 
friend, who stands at the stern upon the lower deck, 
thus apostrophizing the elements, entirely oblivious 
to the fact that at times even decks have ears, and 
the night eyes : "Oh, ocean ! with all thy glory and 
majesty, bear us onward unto our desired haven;" 
then after a short pause, I presume for inspiration, 
the sea becomes the object of his meditations : "Oh [ 
pitiless Waves that rise and surge around us, and 



18 VACATION VAGARIES. 

then fall again into the lap of the Ocean; know ye 
not that we are your masters, and hold, ourselves 
safe, even in your cold embrace ;" then after a much 
longer pause, while we on the upper deck sit silently 
listening, some of us, I must confess, maliciously 
hoping that the young man's ravenous appetite may 
incapacitate him during the voyage, or at least his 
vital temperament may not be sufficient to stimulate 
his brain into such spiritual flights, as we are feeling 
that it is the material world that we have set out to 
enjoy, and at all events we had not bargained for this 
style of oratory; Miss Carey nudges me, almost at 
the expense of my dignity, I had no time to manifest 
that decorous reserve with which I had so often si- 
lenced the presumption of those who had taken lib- 
erties with me; thus attracting my attention, she 
whispered in my ear, "I think poor Golightly is go- 
ing to have another attack/' and we see his form 
standing out blackly against the darkness of the 
night, with both hands extended he is gazing at the 
phosphorescence in the wake of the vessel, and then 
as if its will-of-the-wisp fire had given him an idea he 
threw his arms upward, exclaiming with indiscreet 
fervor : "Oh Star illumined Heaven ! what untold 
wonders dost thou encompass in thy dark depths — 
mysteries which our finite minds may not compre- 
hend, but still the handiwork of our beneficent Cre- 
ator ; 'Oh Lord ! what is man that Thou art mindful 
of him, or the son of man that Thou visitest him.' " 

Now, all thought of levity has left us, and we feel 
ourselves in the presence of our Father, as with 



VACATION VAGARIES. 13 

bowed heads we accept the benediction of this un- 
conscious priest as if our mothers had stooped over 
us and kissed us good night as when children nestled 
in our cribs at home; after a short period of silent 
communion we all quietly steal away to our state- 
rooms without even a word to sully our contact with 
the Divine — the first day on board ship had closed. 

THE SECOND DAY. 

During the night a stiff breeze has been blowing, 
and the sea is running high, and alas for the weak- 
ness of poor humanity, only a few of last night's rev- 
elers appear at breakfast, and most of these with very 
serious and thoughtful countenances, but of course 
disclaiming any intentions of succumbing; I try to 
eat heartily, but the food does not seem to taste as it 
did last night, and I take no interest in it, but still 
mechanically eat what I can. After breakfast I re- 
turn to my stateroom, and the close, stuffy atmos- 
phere of same gives me a dreadfully uncomfortable 
foreboding; but, pshaw! What need I fear? So 
I dive into my grip for a copy of "Captain Cour- 
ageous," and rush on deck, hoping to learn how sea- 
faring mortals should disport themselves when facing 
stormy weather. Seating myself, I open the volume 
at the place where the fishermen are cleaning the fish, 
and I must admit that the vivid realism of Kipling's 
picture nauseates me in my present state of health. 
I read on bravely — the very worst thing I could have 
done — until my brain begins to reel and my eyes 
become dim. The type has a most objectionable dis- 



20 VACATION VAGARIES. 

position to become jumbled into an incomprehensible 
mass. To relieve my eyes, I follow the advice which 
I once received, and raised them to the sea, so as to 
change the focus and thus relieve the strain upon 
the optic nerve. I had not contemplated the water 
long before I began to feel quite squeamish, and 
could not, at the moment, understand why this should 
be, but the feeling is unmistakable. What is this hor- 
ror which besets my very soul — this deadly Upas 
tree that blights my fondest hopes? Within me 
surges the stream of life — my heart grows faint, my 
nerves tingle, and each pore seems to prickle and rise 
up in protest ; upon my brow break out the drops of 
agony and distress ; my hands are clammy as with 
the touch of death; my mouth has a peculiar acrid 
taste. Oh, horrors ! I am sick — sea-sick, and most 
sad ; why will the ship not pause just for one moment 
and give me a slight respite ! But the deck and waves 
seem to have conspired against me ; the one goes up, 
the other down ; even the heavens seem to be falling 
and rising with the tide. I bury my face in my hands 
and moan. I become suddenly aware of a peculiar 
churning sensation within me as if my inmost re- 
cesses had also turned traitor, and I feel I must get 
my throbbing head down somewhere or it will surely 
burst, so I think to fly -to the cabin or perhaps I may 
be able to give expression to my woe in the solitude 
of my stateroom, if I can only have strength to get 
there ; so I rush precipitously for the companionway, 
but, alas for my self-confidence — a lurch of the vessel 
sends me reeling- across the deck to the other rail- 



VACATION VAGARIES. 21 

ing, and the fish are fed as I gaze with bated breath 
upon the swirl of waves as they sweep past me. I 
know that tears filled my eyes, and they burned as if 
on fire; my whole being felt as though some master 
passion had seized me, searched me, and then thrown 
me aside like a sucked orange. Oh, why do I not 
find relief after such dire humiliation and expiation? 
In my abject condition I do not wish for sympathy, 
and I think it most unkind of fellow passengers not 
to turn away their heads or leave the deck ; but thus 
it is always, that true friendship or the reverse mani- 
fests itself in our affliction. 

However, all the ills of humanity have their com- 
pensations, and as the day wore on the storm in- 
creased so that no one was allowed on deck, and very 
few even of those who had been most valiant were 
able to appear at lunch, while I lay on my berth vow- 
ing that I would not raise my head from the pillow 
throughout the voyage, as in this position alone was 
there to be found any relief. 

The events which happened upon this second day 
seem to occupy a very unimportant place in my mem- 
ory, and I can recall very little, except that late at 
night the Steward very kindly brought me a cup of 
beef tea and some dry toast, which I declared I could 
not touch, but upon being pressed I at last managed 
to eat a little, and almost immediately relapsed into 
the oblivion of sleep, from which I did not awake 
until late the next morning, delighted to find the sea 
almost as smooth as glass, the sun shining, and nearly 
everybody on deck. 



22 VACATION VAGARIES. 

A DAYBREAK IDYL. 

I have never acquired the habit of early rising, and 
deprecated it when one has to rise before daybreak 
and breakfast by candle-light, but I can recall most 
pleasantly the exhilaration which each breath seemed 
to inspire upon a morning in early Summer, but per- 
haps more especially in Spring, when the soft haze 
of brilliant green is beginning to enshroud the bare 
trees, when the apple-blossoms and lilacs exhale that 
delicious incense of nature, and the robin-red-breast 
is hopping about on the lawn in search of nice juicy 
angle-worms, and all nature seems to throb in this 
annual regeneration. 

The foliage, the blossoms and the birds come year 
after year, but is it not a sad thought that they are 
not our friends of a former year, as those have passed 
never to return? "And so the blessings which 
Heaven daily grants are in their very commonness 
forgot ; we little heed what answereth our wants until 
it answers not." 

On a sleeping-car one morning in June, daylight 
awakens me, and looking at my watch I find the 
hour is about five; daybreak is always a time of mys- 
tery, and we have been told the darkest hour is just 
before dawn, and know from experience in watching 
by the bed-side of sick friends that the watcher waits 
solemnly for the moment when as on the Judgment 
Day all things shall become manifest. The inspira- 
tion of dawn is particularly felt at sea, when darkness 
enshrouds the mighty deep, and in our ears is the 
sound of many waters, then the strain becomes in- 

LofC. 



VACATION VAGARIES. 23 

tense as we watch and wait for the morning, when 
away towards the East there comes the first gray 
streak on the horizon, and we hold our breaths as it 
gradually grows brighter and more bright, until the 
horizon imperceptibly changes from a dull gray to a 
pale orange, and then "the crimson streak on ocean's 
cheek grows into the great sun," for suddenly a point, 
as of fire, appears on the horizon, and at sea more 
quickly than elsewhere we see the sun arise grandly 
and quietly as he majestically mounts upon the wings 
of the morning in his chariot of pink, then we see the 
large red eye of day fixed upon us in blood-red splen- 
dor; higher and higher he mounts, changing to a 
smaller disc or ball of dazzling and burnished gold — 
thus is another day born. 

The spell is upon us at the birth of a new day, as 
perhaps at no other time., and at such a time our 
thoughts are too deep for utterance; and we render 
unto the Great Spirit the sacrifice of silence, as did 
the Fire worshipers of old when they knelt down in 
their worship of the sun. 



PART II. 



A TRIP TO THE 
MEDITERRANEAN. 



BY 
SIMPLEX. 



CHICAGO: 

SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY 
73 West Adams Street, 

1900. 



Copyright, 1900, 

by 

Robert J. Buchanan. 



A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 



THE AZORES. 

After a rather protracted voyage we appreciate the 
feelings of Columbus, when we know that land is 
near,- but the first islands of the Azores are passed 
in the night; we have, however, the pleasure of see- 
ing the largest of these Portuguese possessions — the 
Island of San Miguel — and are somewhat surprised 
to find that its principal town, Ponta Delgada, has 
over 15,000 inhabitants. This island is most fertile, 




and every available spot is under cultivation ; the 
hillsides are green with verdure, and the little fields, 
like miniature gardens, are enclosed by hedges ; the 
landscape appears like a patchwork quilt with heavy 
dark green herring bone stitching to cover the seams 
between the patches of lighter green. 

The Azores, or Western Islands, are very fertile, 
their chief products being wheat, barley, corn, pine- 



4 A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

apples, oranges and grapes ; and all are so closely cul- 
tivated that in places the volcanic rock has been blast- 
ed to receive plants. 

Trade was formerly confined to Lisbon, but under 
more favorable conditions direct intercourse has been 
established with England, America and other coun- 
tries ; steamers run frequently to Portugal and Eng- 
land, so we find ourselves again in the midst of civili- 
zation, a different condition from that which Colum- 




bus and his followers found after their disheartening 
voyage when they at last sighted the West Indies. 

As we circle around the southern coast of San 
Miguel we see small boats in the harbor, manned we 
presume by Portuguese seamen, so dark is their com- 
plexion ; the waving of hands and hats in the wildest 
gesticulation convinces us of the deep feelings of re- 
spect entertained for us Americans. 

As San Miguel passes to our wake we see the dark 
brown, rock-bound coast, off which many sharp soli- 



A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 5 

tary rocks protruding above the surface of the water 
threaten shipwreck to unfortunate mariners who may- 
be driven upon them by the elements ; but withal the 
warm seal brown gives the necessary color effect to 
emphasize the lovely emerald tints of the island's 
vegetation. 

After passing the Azores we conclude that we are 
almost at Gibraltar, but find our preconceived ideas 
of the coast line of Europe are on a par with most 
preconceived notions, not vindicated by fact ; it was 
about three days thereafter when we sighted land at 
Gibraltar. 

Our first view of the Spanish coast came upon us 
quietly, as the dark shadows in the mists at the hori- 
zon to our left and right gradually developed into the 
coast lines of Europe and Africa, and as we sail to- 
ward the Straits of Gibraltar there seems to be snow 
upon the Spanish hills to our left, so white is the 
driven sand upon their slopes ; thenceforth the pano- 
rama is most fascinating; we proudly proceed be- 
tween the "Pillars of Hercules/' with the ensign of 
England at the forward masthead, and the stars and 
stripes at the rear indicating whence we come; it 
must be conceded that these emblems represent a 
combination worthy of the prowess of Hercules. 

Before us rises the great rock — Gibraltar — in all 
its rugged grandeur, emphasizing, by contrast, the 
loveliness of the surrounding country in that beauti- 
ful province of Spain, Andalusia. 

When in the Bay of Gibraltar around us lies an- 
chored a portion of the Mediterranean squadron of 



6 A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

Great Britain. In this maritime scene we see a pair 
of gigantic cranes used to handle stone for the harbor 
improvements ; while close by are two lightships, one 
painted red, the other green; at night they are thus 
illuminated as they indicate the channel. 

LANDING AT GIBRALTAR. 

The first step upon foreign soil is one to try the 
spirit of the most audacious, when local townsmen 




gather around with their wares, or with the offer of 
services which one feels coerced into accepting; now 
comes the time for the cool calculating head and 
quiet determined action, for he who hesitates is lost. 
In a crowd it is not always desirable to be first, 
especially upon strange territory where a study of 
local contingencies is profitable. First become ac- 
customed to new conditions before facing problems 
presented thereunder; a poor plan well executed ex- 
cels the best of generalship weakly administered; 
have then some definite purpose, to be adhered to in 
the face of opposition until a manifestly better way 
is suggested. Thus the writer introduced himself to 
the "Scorpions," as the natives of Gibraltar are called, 



A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 7 

and had a most felicitous visit to this land of the 
rock, and it seemed that we were capturing this 
mighty fortress as our party scaled the fortifications 
and had a most delightful sojourn of three hours. 

The population of Gibraltar is an intermingling of 
races. The most picturesque costumes are those of 
the Moors., whom we now see for the first time; 
around us swarm the little dark-hued "muchachos," 
or children, who clamor for pennies, and often get 
them, as their picturesque appearance appeals to the 
visitors. 

Upon our arrival we are told that many of the Brit- 
ish officers were attending the "gymkana," or public 
sports, the word being borrowed from India. It is 
apparent that the foreign residents require some mu- 
tual recreation, as the sight of Gibraltar, with its bar- 
ren surroundings, speaks most eloquently of the mo- 
notonous routine in the lives of the men quartered 
here, who for the most part have come from very dif- 
ferent surroundings in their native land. 

Our principal interest lies in the fortifications, 
which are reached by going up through a narrow 
defile cut into the rock, forming a stairway of gradual 
ascent, the surface of the hillside being higher than 
our heads, and at each side of this narrow road, 
runs carry off the surplus rain. This approach is in- 
tended as a protection in reaching the galleries during 
bombardment. 

The galleries are huge tunnels cut through solid 
rock, with frequent rooms to the left, from which 
portholes are cut for the reception of cannon. We 



8 A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

saw only a few guns, of antiquated design, but under- 
stood that the more modern armament was placed 
in the higher galleries, to which access was not usu- 
ally permitted. 

We ascend only half way into the fortifications, 
and, looking out of one of the portholes, see the 
sheer cliffs below us, while perched high up above, 
upon the summit, is Fort St. George and the signal 
station. Before leaving, we look out from one of 
these portholes over the country, and see below us 
the public sports to which reference has been made. 
Further along there is a strip of neutral ground, be- 
tween Spanish and British territory. In the former 
is the "Honemaje," or bull-fighting arena. Upon 
descending, we have a most delightful carriage drive, 
visiting the park, which is most beautiful with its 
tropical foliage, the pepper trees speaking to us elo- 
quently of California. Then we return to the dock 
through the quaint streets lined with shops having 
peculiar signs, a strange intermingling of the names 
of all nationalities, and arrive in time to take the 
last launch to our vessel, which lies moored in the 
bay. We then bid our courteous courier "Addios, 
senor." 

At eight o'clock in the evening we raise anchor 
and continue our voyage ; those taking a last look at 
the Rock see a sudden flash, unaccountable until is 
heard the boom of a cannon, a regular occurrence 
when the flag is lowered for the night, repeated when 
it is again raised in the morning; we who are senti- 



A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 9 

mental are pleased to accept this as our parting salute 
from the mighty fortress. 

The night scene as we finally bid adieu is most fas- 
cinating : 

"Here and there the lamps of evening glimmer, 

Social watchfires 
Answering one another through the darkness." 

The rock of Gibraltar, and its town nestling upon 
the hillside at its base, with the old Moorish castle 
upon the higher foreground, become gradually indis- 
tinct as twilight gently softens the rugged lines of 
nature into softer curves and dim uncertainties — it is 
again night. 

The mystic beauty of this, our first evening upon 
the placid Mediterranean sea will linger in our memo- 
ries when other more obtrusive pleasures have faded. 

Our voyage thenceforth, until we pass the Island 
of Sardinia, is similar to that upon the Atlantic ex- 
cept that the waters from some unknown cause, have 
changed from green and become a deep blue ; we pass 
along through these peaceful waters beyond the sight 
of land and hope, in about twenty hours, to see fair 
Italy. 

Next morning at about six we pass Sardinia, not 
close enough to examine the coast line in detail, but 
the general effect is that of a mountain range with 
numerous smaller foothills in the foreground. 

BAY OF NAPLES. 

At last our voyage nears its completion, for we ex- 
pect to arrive in the Bay of Naples during the night, 



10 



A TRIP TO THE ME BIT EUR ANE AN. 




A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 11 

but will not land until morning; almost everyone 
remains on deck until late into the night, to catch the 
first glimpses of Vesuvius, which look at first like 
the reflection from an iron works ; in the distance it 
is only barely discernible, but as we approach there 
seems to be a great red gash in the hillside from 
which issue clouds of smoke, reflecting the fires which 
surge at their source. At last we anchor and seem 
in fairyland, surrounded by so many lights of varying 
colors, and a line of bright illumination defines for us 
the shore of the Bay of Naples. The writer lingers 
upon deck, and upon retiring after midnight finds 
himself unable to sleep, so is up before sunrise to en- 
joy the beauties of the situation. 




NAPLES. 

The scene around our vessel by degrees becomes 
lively, as one by one native rowboats approach with 
occupants who interview the Italian steerage passen- 
gers, negotiating with them in favor of some hotel 
or boarding house for which patronage is desired ; 
later on, boats laden with a great variety of fruits 
surround us and market women jabber for patron- 
age. 



12 A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 




A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 13 

Upon landing, we drive to our hotel, which faces 
upon the bay, directly across which we have a splen- 
did view of Vesuvius with its smoke by day and fire 
by night ; it is appropriately named the Hotel Vesuve. 

The streets of Naples swarm with peddlers who 
urge their wares upon strangers with the persistence 
of beggars ; it takes all one's fund of Italian words 
to cope with them, but a knowlege of their racial 
peculiarities is more important than of mere words, 
as -the Italians emphasize their ideas by gesticula- 
tions, sometimes so fierce as to cause consternation 
in the uninitiated ; this, however, is only their inborn 
instinct of oratory ; the writer to end a dispute with a 
cabman seized him by the shoulders and gave him a 
friendly shake, then further argument was unneces- 
sary, as the native bystanders declared that he was 
a "Buono Huomo," or good man. Thus this touch 
of nature had made two continents akin. 

In this foreign land we see many strange sights, 
but none more quaint than a cart drawn by a cow, 
assisted on the left by a diminutive horse, while upon 
the right a little donkey added her strength ; we can- 
not believe that such a combination is common, but 
are told that many small farmers thus utilize every 
available animal for such work ; cows and horses are 
often hitched together, and long-horned oxen, after 
such incongruities, seem quite proper, although unu- 
sual in America, except in the backwoods. 

As we desire to visit Paris without unnecessary 
delay we pass through Italy, and hurriedly visit the 
chief cities, after which we visit Switzerland ; Ger- 



14 A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 




A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 



15 



many; going by boat down the historic Rhine and 
thus by way of Cologne we arrive at Paris. 

It is a delightful experience to hear everyone talk- 
ing fluently in a language of which we only know a 
few words, teaching us that there are other interests 
in the world than those of which we have been the 
center. 




16 



A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 




A TRIP TO THE MEDITERRANEAN. 17 




PART III. 



PARIS IN THE DAWN 
OF 1900. 



BY 

SIMPLEX. 



CHICAGO: 

SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
73 West Adams Street, 

1900. 



Copyright, 1900, 

by 

Robert J. Buchanan. 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900 



RETROSPECT. 

Before describing "Paris in the Dawn of 1900," 
let us consider her condition when this present cen- 
tury was ushered in. 

Across our imagination falls the dark and ominous 
shadow of the Bastile, which typified the oppression 
under which the people groaned. 

"Oh, suffering, sad humanity! 
Oh, ye afflicted ones, who lie 
Steeped to the lips in misery, 
Longing, and yet afraid to dde, 
Patient, though sorely tried." 

How true it was, that the darkest hour was just 
before the dawn, in which liberty arose, blood-red 
and enshrouded by darkness almost impenetrable. 
But at last the day broke and liberty shone with ever- 
increasing lustre. In France, and indirectly in the 
whole world, a new day had dawned. 

Upon the site of the Bastile now stands the Col- 
onne de Juillet, or Column of July, commemorating 
its fall, typifying the equality of rights which came 
after the Revolution had swept away the odious past, 
and had ushered in a new day of freedom; but oh, 
what a dawn! 

Upon the threshold of the twentieth century one 
can hardly realize that in the spacious and beautiful 
Place de la Concorde, the hellish work of the guil- 



4 PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 

lotine flourished with all its fury of Satanic triumph, 
which was followed by that regime of reconstruction, 
when Napoleon shaped the destinies of Europe, 
crushing out of France the spirit of rebellion, unify- 
ing her people by his consummate generalship. 




Paris, the queen of modern cities, has indescribable 
grace which charms the visitor, and her history is 
well nigh incredible, when one recalls that portion of 
it where in an atmosphere of luxury Art flourished, 
as it always will under similar conditions; then fol- 
lowed that period of wanton debauchery wherein the 



PABIS ffl THE DAWN OF 1900. 5 

nobility ground the common people into the dust 
by unequal laws, in order that their wantonness 
might be ministered unto. This was the time when 
the Bastile flourished with all its untold horrors, 
when "Lettres de Cachet" gave almost any irrespon- 
sible young reveller the power to blast the lives of 
his fellows, and condemn to indefinite imprisonment 
or worse ; when "off to the Bastile" struck terror into 
many inoffensive hearts, and made possible that dire 
retribution which followed these outrages against the 
inalienable rights of humanity, when the masses 
arose, and perpetrated the horrid sanguinary carnage 
of the French Revolution; but we are almost com- 
pelled to exclaim : "There was no other expiation !" 
Then many a fair, innocent heart, which knew no 
malice, fluttered like that of a dove in the snare of 
the fowler; and poor, guileless worshipers at the 
shrine of Fashion were hunted to death like wild 
creatures ; and so many innocent heads, from the 
very flower of the nobility, fell to atone for the past 
class outrages against humanity, for which the indi- 
viduals were in no way responsible. 

PARIS THE ART CENTER. 

The approaching exposition of 1900 directs to Paris 
the attention of the world, as our sister republic is 
making elaborate preparations for her duties as 
hostess. 

Paris as an art center is best understood if one 
first makes a tour through Italy, and it is a remin- 
iscent pleasure to come across reproductions of old 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 



friends in art; here also are many of the master- 
pieces of the world. 

Leaving our hotel on the Rue Castiglione, we pro- 
ceed to the Place Vendome, with its magnificent Col- 
onne Vendome, copied after the Column of Trajan 
at Rome ; upon its summit is a bronze statue of Na- 
poleon I. 

Continuing through the Place Vendome by the 
Rue de la Paix, directly opposite the Rue Castiglione, 




we see beyond the Place de l'Opera, the Grand Opera 
House, with its magnificent facade beautified by many 
handsome columns and enriched by exquisite carv- 
ings and statuary. 

In every direction from the Place de l'Opera ra- 
diate spacious boulevards lined with trees and gay 
with Parisian life. 



PARTS IN TEE DAWN OF 1900. 7 

Passing to the left along the Boulevard des Capu- 
cines, one of the main thoroughfares leading out of 




the Place de l'Opera, we shortly arrive at the beauti- 
ful Madeleine Church. 

This grand structure stands like an ancient tem- 
ple, surrounded by magnificent columns; under the 




pediment are words in French, which, translated, 
mean "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity." 

Diverging slightly to our left, we proceed along 
the Rue Royale, which leads from the Madeleine 



8 PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 

Church to the Place de la Concorde, in the center of 
which, upon the site of the Guillotine, stands the 
Luxor Obelisk of Red Egyptian Granite, telling its 
story by strange hieroglyphs, which the elements for 
centuries have failed to obliterate. 

Arriving at the obelisk we turn to the left and see 
the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries, at the end of which 




rises the Arch du Carrousel, and beyond is the Palace 
of the Louvre. 

Turning in the opposite direction, we see the world 
renowned Champs Elysees, at whose entrance are 
two magnificent equestrian statuary groups. 

Looking up this enchanting boulevard, we see the 
Arc de Triomphe in the distance, and realize that our 
dreams of Paris have materialized. 

A most delightful walk brings us to that magni- 
ficent memorial of Victory — the Arch of Triumph 
commenced by the great Napoleon. 

This arch is further designated the "Arc de Tri- 
omphe de l'Etoile," being situated upon high ground, 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 9 

and at least twelve prominent thoroughfares radiat- 
ing from it, as from a star. 

This monument comprises a central arch, into 
which a smaller arched way enters from either side, 
and nothing can surpass its grandeur. The sculp- 
tures are very fine and the guide books give full in- 
formation concerning these works of art. 

Retracing our steps, we admire the avenue of en- 
trancing beauty down which we walk, until again 
in that magnificent Place de la Concorde. 




To our right and directly opposite the point at 
which we entered the Place de la Concorde, we see, 
across the bridge of the same name, the Chambre 
des Deputes, or the Corps Legislatif, above and be- 
yond the roof of which, in the distance, rises the 
gilded dome of the Invalides, where are entombed the 
ashes of Napoleon. 

Before crossing the river, we look back and enjoy 
a view of surpassing grandeur. 



10 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 




PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 



11 



In the background stands the beautiful Madeleine 
at the end of the Rue Royale, and at its point of entry 
into the Place de la Concorde, on either side of the 
"Rue Royale stands a palatial edifice ; the one on the 
left is the residence of some wealthy family, that on 
the right is occupied by the Minister of Marine. Sur- 
rounding the Place de la Concorde are statuary 
groups representing the principal cities of France ; 
among these is that of the poor, exiled sister city of 







Strasburg, and upon this monument are laid each 
year the emblems of mourning; a society being 
pledged to remember this despoliation of France by 
the Germans, and to rest not until the wrong is right- 
ed; but we must not forget that the Germans were 
the original possessors of the provinces of Alsace and 
"Lorraine. 

While crossing the River Seine by the Pont de la 
Concorde, we have before us the Palais Bourbon, or 
Chambre des Deputes, a stately building, whose pedi- 
ment is supported by twelve magnificent columns. 



12 



PARIS m THE DAWN OF 1900. 



A short walk brings us to another place of special 
interest in the Church of the Invalides, with the 
tomb of Napoleon, which naturally attracts atten- 
tion, not alone for its grandeur, but as the last rest- 
ing place for the ashes of this wonderful man, who 
loved his country dearly; perhaps unwisely at times, 
and with an ambition which used the people for his 
personal and family aggrandizement; we must not 




.Sfyofll l]f| 1|-.I U|= 1. I 1 



too harshly criticise this feature of his career, as it 
no doubt was a necessary part of his plan for the gen- 
eral glorification of France. But as his last hours 
came, with the monotonous beating of the waves 
against his rock-girt prison — St. Helena — a great 
homesickness must have stirred his soul when he 
made known his last wishes : "I desire that my 
ashes repose upon the banks of the Seine, among 



PABIS IN TEE DAWN OF 1900. 



13 



the French people, whom I have loved so much." 
To this hero of so many victories, France in the pres- 
ent day at least pays her greatest tributes of respect 
and admiration. 

Beneath the dome of the Invalides, and within 
a circular well-like crypt lined with brown granite, 




having twelve statues representing angels watching 
over the sacred dust, lie the remains of Napoleon 
within a sarcophagus of polished red Russian por- 
phyry, which is supported upon a block of polished 
green granite ; inlaid into the pavement and encir- 
cling the sarcophagus are the names of his victories, 



14 PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 

surrounded by a huge wreath of laurel encircled and 
bound by purple bands, emblematic of victory and 
mourning; the outermost pattern in the pavement 
represents the conventionalized rays of the sun, typi- 
fying the effulgence of his fame. 

Upon the side walls of this chapel, and directly 
opposite Napoleon's tomb, are two monuments ; that 
of the famous engineer Vauban on the right, on the 
left that of Marechal Turenne. 

It is not intended to describe in detail the beau- 
ties of this place, but merely to call attention to 
them. Before leaving this beautiful shrine, we note 
the magnificent canopy at the rear, supported by 
four twisted columns of black and white marble, be- 
neath which is a bronze figure of Christ upon a 
golden cross ; this canopy is a reproduction of a sim- 
ilar one in St. Peter's, at Rome ; this one appears to 
better advantage, having the light streaming upon it 
from both sides, through amber windows. 

Leaving the interior of the Invalides, we take a 
farewell look at the exterior of this truly magnificent 
mausoleum, with its stately gilded dome ; and not 
without regret take leave of it to visit the Champs 
de Mars, where the main buildings of the Exposition 
are to be found ; now we hear the hum of the busy 
workmen, as the beautiful palaces slowly arise to take 
their places in this fair city ; some of them are of tem- 
porary construction, while others will remain as per- 
manent memorials. 

Upon either side of the river Seine are rising build- 
ings of stone and composite, and some handsome 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 



15 



structures are doomed to be torn down, to construct 
a magnificent new approach to the Champs de Mars 
from the Champs Elysees, that the Exposition may 
be brought into closer communication with the North 
Side of the city. 




The Tour Eiffel, as in the previous exposition, 
rears its tall and gracefully curved shaft upon the 
Champs de Mars in the midst of the Exposition 
grounds and at the intersection of two thoroughfares 



16 PAEIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 

which it spans by four arches, upon which it rises 
skyward in grace and beauty, as fresh in its charms 
as when completed ten years ago, a masterpiece of 
mechanical engineering. 

One may secure the best idea of the Exposition 
grounds from the first or second stage of the Tour 
Eiffel, the final stage being too lofty for an examina- 
tion of the details. 

It is not the object of this sketch to furnish de- 
scriptions in detail, as local guide books do that, but 
it is hoped that the environs of the Exposition may 
be brought before the reader, that he may enjoy in 
anticipation this city of surpassing interest and 
beauty. 

Leaving the Tour Eiffel, we cross the river by 
the Pont d'lena at this point and see before us the 
most charming Trocadero, one of the permanent 
buildings of the last Exposition. 

Its construction is unique: On either side of the 
main building, which is of circular form, rises a grace- 
ful square tower, while from the sides, crescent wings 
encircle a charming little park, and in these wings 
are enshrined many art treasures. 

Erom the Trocadero gushes a magnificent foun- 
tain, flowing over numerous cascades and making 
a most refreshing picture. 

Leaving the Place du Trocadero, we cross the 
river by the Pont de Passy to the boat landing and 
see upon our right a reproduction in bronze of the 
familiar Goddess of Liberty statue by Bartholdi, but 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 



17 




18 PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 

of much smaller size, being only one-tenth that of the 
original in New York harbor. 

In making this delightful boat excursion, we pass 
through that portion of the city devoted to the Ex- 
position, now the scene of so much activity. In pass- 
ing the grounds, upon our right in process of con- 
struction is a wide esplanade, under which in a 
bridged subway, will run the trains destined to carry 
the immense crowds expeditiously into the very heart 
of the exposition. Immediately opposite upon the 
left bank of the river rise quaintly constructed build- 
ings, which are designed to represent "Old Paris. ,, 

Over the river at about this point is being thrown 
a magnificent new bridge called Pont Alexandre III., 
which crosses the river by a single span and com- 
pletes the connecting link between the Champs 
Elysees and the Champs de Mars ; at either entrance 
of this bridge rise two fine square pillars of granite. 

Continuing on our way, passing on the right bank 
the Chambre des Deputes and on the left the Place 
de la Concorde and Jardin des Tuileries, we arrive at 
the Pont Royal, where we land. 

Crossing the river by the Pont Royal, we find our- 
selves at the Palace of the Louvre, the buildings of 
which form three sides of a square. The wing to 
our left is occupied Jby the Colonial Offices, that to 
the right by several of the offices of the Finance 
Minister; while the art galleries are to be found in 
that portion in the rear, which faces us. 

Entering the Art Galleries, we see many of the 
masterpieces which are so highly prized by connois- 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 



19 




20 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 



seurs — that which is considered most valuable of 
all the treasures is the Venus de Milo. 

We leave the Louvre with regret, after a most 
profitable tour of inspection, having received the 
nucleus for much thought. 

In front of the Louvre stands the beautiful monu- 
ment to Gambetta and directly opposite is the Arc 




du Carrousel, which stands at the head of the Jardin 
des Tuileries ; it was originally the gateway to the 
palace of that name, and is a reproduction of the 
Arch of Severus at Rome ; particular attention is 
directed to the magnificent bronze group which 
adorns its top. 

From this point we have a magnificent view; be- 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 



21 



yond the gardens we see the Obelisk of Luxor in 
the Place de la Concorde and further on the magnifi- 
cent boulevard, the Avenue- des Champs Elysees, 
which leads up to the Arc de Triomphe. Before 
leaving this spot, we may recall the fact that the 
palace of the Tuileries which stood beyond the Arc 
du Carrousel was burned by the Communists in 1871. 




It may puzzle some to understand how stone build- 
ings were so easily destroyed by fire, having so little 
woodwork, but the process was simple enough; dur- 
ing the Commune, fire engines drenched the lime- 
stone buildings with kerosene and a match applied, 
the structures were enveloped in flame and calcina- 
tion did the rest. 

Passing along the Rue des Tuileries, we see the 
small gilded equestrian statue of Joan of Arc. 

Turning to the right, we make a short visit to the 
Palais Royal, where may be found desirable cafes 



22 



PARIS IN THE DAWN OF 1900. 



and also many shops. This is one portion of the city 
usually thronged by shoppers. 

Returning to the Rue de Rivoli, we pass along be- 
neath arcades where the shopkeepers display their 
wares most temptingly. 




A short walk with the Jardin des Tuileries on our 
left brings us once more to the Rue Castiglione, into 
which we turn to the right, and have before us a 
splendid view of the Colonne Vendome. 




We are quite satisfied, when, at last, the hospitable 
portals of our hotel are reached, and we may rest 
from our labors. 



PART IV 



LONDON 

THE METROPOLIS OF 

THE WORLD 



BY 
SIMPLEX. 



CHICAGO: 

SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
73 West Adams Street, 

1900. 



Copyright, 1900, 

by 

Robert J. Buchanan. 



LONDON, TEE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 3 



LONDON OF TODAY. 

London, the metropolis of the world, stands un- 
rivaled in its commercial and political history; it is 
difficult to form an adequate conception of its mag- 
nitude. 

London within her limited area is more populous 
than the combined states of Pennsylvania and West 
Virginia, and in that small section called the city 
it has been said that realty is valued at an equivalent 
of ten million dollars per acre, although one can 
hardly imagine any of it being for sale even at this 
fabulous price. 

Some one has remarked that the principal thorough- 
fares of England lead to London, and we know that 
in British Imperial politics London is the great cen- 
ter of economic life., for here are fostered the most 
potent activities of the world. 

We will, however, visit only the most prominent 
points of interest in London, hoping that they may 
be remembered when the writer has been forgotten. 

As a matter of convenience, we begin our tour 
at Hyde Park Corner, with its magnificent three 
arched gateway, with intervening columns, on the 



4 LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 

right is the residence of the Duke of Wellington, 
having a handsome portico adorned by pillars ; after 
entering Hyde Park upon our left diverges Rotten 
Row, a magnificent equestrian promenade, upon 



&to A .VtjMrtij 




which no carriages are tolerated with the exception 
of one, that of Queen Victoria, whose presence there 
is hailed with great acclaim. The wheels of her car- 
riage may mark the brown surface of "The Row," 




and add interest to its surroundings, but no one else 
must usurp this prerogative of royalty. 

In Hyde Park near the western end of Rotten Row, 
London's greatest resort for fashionable riders, 
stands the Albert Memorial resplendent in all its 



LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 5 

grace and beauty ; this is said to be one of the finest 
monuments in the world and we do not doubt the 
assertion, when its gilded splendor and the artistic 
effect of its adornment appear before us ; encrusted 
with rare stones, it presents the appearance of a gem. 
This Memorial is a testimonial to the memory of 
the late Prince Consort, and cost about six hundred 




thousand dollars. Queen Victoria gave a handsome 
royal donation ; a large proportion of the outlay was 
raised by popular subscription, the balance, of about 
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, was ap- 
propriated by an Act of Parliament. 

In architecture the Albert Memorial is Gothic, 



6 LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 

consisting of a canopy supported by clustered col- 
umns of granite and tapering to a graceful spire 
which rises to a height of one hundred and seventy- 
five feet, finished off by a magnificent cross of gilded 
bronze ; beneath the canopy is a seated figure of the 
late Prince, also in gilded bronze. Upon each of the 
four corners at the base, are statuary groups repre- 
senting Engineering, Manufacture, Commerce and 
Agriculture, while around the base are sculptured in 
white marble bas relief about two hundred figures 
of men illustrious in literature, art and science; a 




study of these life-sized figures is most interesting 
and instructive. 

Handsome stone steps surround and form the ap- 
proach to this monument ; at the four corners, upon 
the first landing of this approach are large statuary 
groups representing Europe, Asia, Africa and Amer- 
ica. 

Directly across the road stands the Royal Albert 
Hall; this large circular auditorium has a seating 
capacity for ten or fifteen thousand persons, and con- 
tains one of the largest pipe-organs in the world; a 
short distance from the rear of the Royal Albert 



LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF TEE WOULD. 7 

Hall may be found the Imperial Institute, the South 
Kensington Museum and the more recent Victoria 
and Albert Museum. 

Returning to the Albert Memorial, we proceed 
eastward by the Knightsbridge Road, which is a con- 
tinuation of Kensington Road. Upon our way we 
pass on the left the Knightsbridge Barracks where 
many soldiers are quartered, and soon arrive once 
more at Hyde Park Corner; across from which we 
see-the handsome arch erected over the gateway lead- 




ing to Constitution Road, which passes in front of 
Buckingham Palace. 

Since the death of her husband, Prince Consort, 
the Queen has not resided here except when in Lon- 
don upon business of state ; it is here that she holds 
her drawing-rooms at which ladies esteem it such 
a social privilege to be presented to her Majesty. 

Immediately in front of Buckingham Palace the 
Mall opens out, but passing this spacious boulevard 
upon our left, we continue along Constitution Road 
and soon reach the historic St. James' Palace, where 
are celebrated the royal weddings and also it is here 
that the Prince of Wales presides at the royal levees 
or state receptions for gentlemen, corresponding to 
the Queen's drawing-rooms for the ladies. 



8 LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 

Passing along Bird-Cage-Walk, which forms the 
southern boundary of St. James Park, we shortly 
reach Westminster Abbey, built where once stood a 




heathen temple to the god Apollo; the first Chris- 
tian church being erected upon this site in A. D. 
610; the Abbey is one of the most cherished places 




in the British Empire, and in its architecture the 
graceful Gothic predominates. 

Burial in Westminster Abbey is the greatest rec- 
ognition of civic distinction; Lord Nelson's words 
illustrated this, when he said : "Victory or Westmin- 



LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF TEE WORLD. 9 

ster Abbey," meaning thereby that if he achieved the 
former he would probably be buried in St. Paul's 
Cathedral as is now his most appropriate resting 
place, failing in that, should he achieve civic or lit- 
erary pre-eminence his ashes might repose in West- 
minster Abbey. 

Entering this ancient abbey one feels at once the 




spell of an inspiration of sanctity, constraining one 
with uncovered head, and humble mien, to ask the 
Great Father of all for his protection and benediction, 
until life's pilgrimage ceases, and the weary one finds 
rest. 

The graceful columns, the pointed gothic arches 
and groined ceiling — all are a poem of praise to the 
beneficient Creator. 

"The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth 
keep silence before him !" 

On every side are monuments to the illustrious 
dead of this great nation, and one's spirit is over- 
shadowed by the memories of the past. 



10 LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF TEE WORLD. 

Everything in this beautiful sanctuary speaks of 
the finer instincts of man in his efforts to erect to the 
glory of God a temple in harmony with Him, in its 
artistic simplicity and ornate grandeur. 




In passing through Westminster Abbey, we natu- 
rally visit the Poet's Corner, where we recognize a 
bust of our own beloved poet, Longfellow, erected 
by his many admiring friends, although its presence 
does not appear quite appropriate, notwithstanding 



LONDON, TEE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 11 

the fact that in the broad sense he belongs to all Eng- 
lish speaking people. 

In the Chapel of Edward the Confessor another 
object of interest attracts attention, the Coronation 
Chair upon which the Sovereigns are crowned. Be- 
neath the seat there is a strange stone called by many 
the Stone of Destiny, brought from Scone in Scot- 
land, where it had been used for the coronation of 
Scotch rulers, and a tradition says that it is the ver- 
itable pillow of Jacob, at Bethel. 

At royal coronations this chair, removed from its 
present resting place, is carried to the front of the 
altar, over it is thrown a drapery of cloth of gold 
which must, without question, make it look more 
gorgeous, but marked over as it is with many historic 
knife cuttings, it has greater interest. 

Thus is the pomp and splendor of to-day, reared 
upon the more homely traditions of the past. 

In the rear of the Abbey stands the Palace of 
Westminster, better known as the Parliament Build- 
ings, of which a fine view is obtained from across the 
river Thames. The general style of architecture is 
Gothic, but is also sometimes called Tudor. 

At one corner in the background rises the Victoria 
Tower in massive grandeur, at the further end of the 
buildings or the part devoted to the House of Lords ; 
the House of Commons occupying the end nearest to 
us, which is plainer in adornment ; in the foreground 
the clock tower faces upon the approach to Westmin- 
ster Bridge and must be seen to be appreciated. 



12 LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE W0BL1), 




LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 13 

From Westminster Bridge, the river passenger 
boats offer to the public a convenient and delightful 
means of transportation; leaving Westminster 
Bridge, and turning to our right into Parliament 
Street we pass the principal Government offices on 
our left, also the Horse Guards at Whitehall, the 
headquarters of the War Department, and we are 
soon in Trafalgar Square, one of the chief centers 
in this great city. 

This square is named after Lord Nelson's last 
naval victory and a magnificent monument to his 
memory, adorns its spacious area; this monument 
erected in A. D. 1840, is a Corinthian column of 
Portland stone. At its base are crouched four mag- 
nificent bronze lions designed by Landseer; the cap- 
ital of the column is cast from the cannon captured 
by Lord Nelson and on the summit is his statue in 
bronze. In the background is the National Gallery, 
while immediately in the rear of the Nelson Monu- 
ment is a small but interesting statue of General Gor- 
don. On the right hand side of Trafalgar Square is 
the Church of St. Martin's in the Fields, and Morley's 
Hotel. 

Opening from this Square are some prominent 
thoroughfares, including Northumberland Avenue, 
Pall Mall and the Strand, the latter a busy street par- 
allel with the river Thames, and leading from Trafal- 
gar Square up past Charing Cross to the Royal Law 
Courts where its name changes to Fleet street; this 
thoroughfare is devoted to the business phases of lit- 
erature, commerce and art. 



14 LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 









:)(l ||ci|jig|-i=-i3lcsf/ 








LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 15 

Revisiting Trafalgar Square, we pass down North- 
umberland Avenue and soon find ourselves upon 
the Victoria Embankment, and before us Somerset 




House, the Internal Revenue headquarters; to our 
left are many fine hotels and on the right stands Cleo- 
patra's Needle, upon the bank of the Thames. 

Returning to Trafalgar Square, we pass up St. 
Martin's Lane and find our way to the British Mu- 




seum, where are preserved many rare treasures which 
have added to the advancement of the world. 



16 LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF TEE WOULD. 

In such a collection, it is useless to particularize, as 
guidebooks are necessary; upon leaving we cross 
Great Russell Street and are soon upon New Oxford 
Street, along which we proceed, its name soon 
changes to High Holborn Street, which takes us past 
our own hotel to Chancery Lane, through which we 
reach Fleet Street, in the vicinity of "The Temple," 
one of the great settlements of the legal profession, 
containing within its confines the Temple Church, 




which is most interesting, as connected with the Cru- 
saders ; also law libraries and chambers. 

At the corner of Fleet Street and Chancery Lane 
we find the Royal Law Courts, to which we have pre- 
viously alluded; opposite the tower once stood the 
Temple Bar now removed elsewhere, and in its place 
there is a monument surmounted by a bronze griffin. 

In this magnificent temple for the administration 
of justice, important suits have been tried, which in 



LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 17 

former years were judged in Westminster Hall ad- 
joining the Parliament Buildings, which had become 
inadequate to the requirements of the country. 

Temple Bar was the last of the old city gates to 
survive the insistent demand for municipal improve- 
ment and this tribute to by-gone customs had to be 
sacrificed; it was here that kings and queens coming 
to the City from the West End required to knock 
for admission ; the gates were then thrown open with 
much ceremony and the Lord Mayor presenting the 
keys of the City to the sovereign gave with them its 
freedom. 

Here we enter the City, and proceed up Ludgate 
Hill to St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the finest in Eng- 
land and one of the most prominent buildings in Lon- 
don ; almost wherever you go its great dome rises in 
solemn majesty. 




This cathedral is the product of the genius of its 
architect Sir Christopher Wren, who is here buried, 
and whose epitaph contains these impressive words: 
"Reader if thou seekest his monument, look around." 



18 LOJSDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 

St. Paul's Cathedral is a mausoleum for the na- 
tion's military and naval heroes. Nelson and Wel- 
lington are buried beside each other, also many other 
illustrious dead are entombed in the crypt. 

The monument of Gen. Gordon deserves special 
notice; its epitaph is as follows: "Major General 
Charles Gordon, C. B., who at all times and every- 
where gave his strength to the weak, his substance 
to the poor, his sympathy to the suffering and his 
heart to God." 










Upon leaving by the north transit, we find in the 
churchyard flocks of pigeons being fed by visitors, 



LONDON, TEE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 19 

reminding one of a similar sight in the Piazza San 
Marco in Venice. 

We leave St. Paul's and turning to the left, have a 
view of the General Post Office in passing, and then, 
by way of Cheapside, past many historic buildings, 
we arrive at the Bank of England, one of the great 
focal points of London, to the right, across Thread- 
needle Street is the handsome Royal Exchange 
erected A. D. 1845, beyond which is the well-known 
street called Cornhill. 




The Bank of England was founded in the 17th cen- 
tury by a Scotchman, and has a circulation equal to 
one hundred million dollars ; it is an interesting fact 
that only new notes are issued each note being re- 
deemed with gold upon presentation, canceled and 
then placed in the vaults pending its ultimate destruc- 
tion. 

The Bank of England is the fiduciary agent of the 
Government, collecting taxes and paying the interest 
on the national debt; its annual dividends amount 



20 LONDON, TEE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 

to about one hundred and twenty-five million dollars ; 
in such a large financial institution the greatest vigi- 
lance being necessary, it is under military protection 
each night, while guards in uniform patrol the build- 
ing, night and day. 

The Mansion House, the official residence of the 
Lord Mayor of London, is beyond the open area, 
formed by the converging of several thoroughfares, 
and faces the Bank of England. 

Passing down toward the river past the Monument 
designed by Wren and erected to commemorate the 




great fire of 1666, we are soon crossing London 
Bridge ; to our left we see the Tower of London, and 
also the Tower Bridge, a master piece of mechanical 
engineering, and having crossed the river, we turn to 
the left upon the South side, and shortly cross the 
river again, this time by the Tower Bridge to which 
reference has been made, and find ourselves at the 
Tower of London. 

The Tower of London links these latter days of 
enlightenment to the more remote dark ages of bar- 



LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 21 

barism and horrid cruelty, in which it played such a 
prominent part. 

In the chapel lie buried the remains of many of the 
victims of cruelty, revenge and jealousy; a British 
historian says : "There is no sadder spot than this 
the resting place of the bleeding relics of men who 
had been captains of armies, the oracles of senates 
and the ornaments of courts." 

The Tower of London is now transformed into an 
arsenal and museum, wherein historic sword blades, 




bayonets and other implements of warfare have, with 
great artistic skill, been formed into representations 
of flowers, and in the moat, long since dry, flowers 
are growing, in final triumph of nature over brute 
force. 

Leaving many interesting places unvisited, we visit 
the Crown Jewels, which are strongly guarded by an 
iron grating. 

In conclusion we visit Waterloo Bridge, and see 
a magnificent panorama of which a poet writing of 
the view as seen in the early morning, has said : 



22 LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD. 




LONDON, THE METROPOLIS OF TEE WORLD. 23 

''Earth has not anything to show more fair; 
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by 
A sight so touching in its majesty: 
The city now doth like a garment wear 
The beauty of the morning silent — fair ; 
Ships, towers, domes, theaters and temples lie 
Open unto the sun and to the sky, 
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air ; 
Never did sun more beautifully steep 
In his first splendor, valley, rock or hill ; 
Ne'er saw I, never felt a calm so deep ; 
The river glideth at his own sweet will ; 
Dear God ! the very houses seem asleep, 
And all that mighty heart is lying still." 
London is so replete with the most thrilling his- 
toric memories that a short visit is quite inadequate 
to the subject, and leaving these scenes in your 
memories, I hope they may some day become the 
objects of a personal and pleasant experience. 



PART V. 



REVERIES OF A MYSTIC 



BY 

SIMPLEX. 



CHICAGO: 

SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
73 West Adams Street, 

1900. 



Copyright, 1900, 

by 

Robert J. Buchanan. 



INTRODUCTION. 



THE desert experiences of life are often in the 
midst of its busiest scenes. The crowded 
thoroughfares have been trodden by those who, while 
craving intercourse with their fellows, have resented 
the least intrusion upon their morbidness. 

Sometimes a true friend breaks through this hyper- 
sensitiveness, and while the first impulse is that of 
resentment, the better nature triumphs, and the 
experience, in retrospect, seems an oasis in the desert. 

The heart is sick and the head tired. Then the 
burdens of life would gladly be laid down as too 
heavy; but notwithstanding that, the joy of living is 
emphasised by these sojourns in the wilderness, and 
the sun shines the more brightly when the clouds 
pass away. 

When the new day of usefulness has come, if we 
profit by experience, hope leads forth into broader 
fields of usefulness. 

The wilderness and solitary place shall rejoice and 
blossom as the rose. 

" And he who has not learned to know 
How false its (life's) sparkling bubbles show, 
How bitter are the drops of woe 
With which its brim may overflow, 
He has not learned to live." 



4 REVERIES OF A MYSTIC 

SPIRIT SYMPATHY. 

In the spirit life there are affinities more potent 
than animal magnetism, by which, however, they are 
sometimes expressed. Human beings are delicate and 
sensitive instruments in the midst of soul harmonies 
and discords, and souls commune with souls in corre- 
sponding sympathies, or are repelled by antipathies. 

Spiritual expression is more emphatic than mere 
words; which, at best, are only the coinage of the 
intellect, but are, with physical expression, the chief 
exponents of man's subjective consciousness. 

To appreciate a suggestion without physical ex- 
pression, is an evidence of great spirit refinement. 
When one enters the environment of others, before 
the eyes perceive the physical, there may be felt a 
spiritual attraction or an antipathy. 

Each spirit emanation produces some direct or in- 
direct effect upon the spirit lives of others, and 
initiates incalculable consequences, in a similar man- 
ner as a whisper enters into a series of atmospheric 
combinations, which almost immediately become too 
finely attenuated for their delicate tones to be heard, 
much less appreciated. 

A novice will play a musical instrument out of 
tune, until its vibrations become untrue ; then a con- 
summate artist is required to restore its true relations 
to the laws of harmony. 



REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 5 

Mortals have become antagonistic to the divine 
law by corrupting environment and evil inclinations, 
and from this condition of discord only the Master 
can redeem them ; but, if their wills are surrendered, 
they are in sympathy with the Spirit of Truth, with 
hearts large enough to acknowledge the boundlessness 
of God's love and the common brotherhood of man; 
then peace shall reign, and the Prince of Peace shall 
be satisfied. 

May there not be a spirit harmony which has 
rarely been apprehended, although there may have 
been seers who have in a measure comprehended this 
sublime music, to fully understand which would be 
heaven ? 

Physical limitations so narrowly define and 
circumscribe our contact with the spiritual life, that 
we do not recognise the Infinite. 

At present, as in the past, there are seers, having 
finely focussed and delicately attuned spirits, who 
receive a foretaste of the spirit temple, and under- 
stand, in a measure, the mysteries to be revealed 
when the past and future have merged into an eternal 
present. 

Even in this life of turmoil, souls are promised a 
rest which remaineth to the people of God, for "He 
that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High 
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." 



6 REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 

SPIRIT TEMPLES. 

The evolution of character depends upon the 
manner in which we accept the lessons taught by 
experience. 

"Build thee, my soul, more stately mansions as 
the swift seasons roll, quit thy low vaulted past, let 
each new temple, nobler than the last, shut thee from 
heaven by a dome more vast, till thou at length art 
free, leaving this outgrown shell by life's unresting 
sea." 

There are many mysteries in life which, spiritually 
discerned, are often hidden from the wise and prudent, 
and revealed unto babes. One of these, the theory 
of cell-reconstruction, teaches us that " men may 
rise on stepping-stones of their dead selves to higher 
things." 

We sometimes build better than we know, and as 
blind builders led by the Spirit, our work is heaven - 
born ; but alas ! too often are we struck with its 
magnificence, and attributing it to our own unaided 
acumen, down tumbles our superstructure like a house 
built upon the sand. 

How important,- then, is a measure of blindness 
when, in the flush of accomplished purposes, we find 
ourselves on the heights of spiritual exaltation, and 
through our enquickened spirits view the kingdoms 
of the earth, which are promised, if we will only serve 



REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 7 

the Spirit of Evil ! Let us, then, beware that our 
eyes be not dazzled by the pomp and circumstance 
of a vain world ; then shall we be led of the Spirit 
of God, and angels shall come ministering unto us, 
and we shall hear voices in the night — 

" Ye are the temples of the Holy Ghost." 



SPIRIT HARMONY. 

In the Temple of Life there is a spiritual organ 
whose pipes are human souls; but none among 
men is competent to bring out the full compass of 
its beautiful harmonies, and few who do not 
produce discord in their efforts to manipulate this 
mighty instrument. The thought brings sad- 
ness. 

We listen to the great undertones; and while there 
is much that is beautiful if heard by itself, when it is 
considered amidst the vast volume of discord, it can 
scarcely be distinguished. And we long for that time 
when the Great Musician shall appear, and the stops 
of life's mighty organ be controlled by His master- 
hand. Then shall our relative conditions be adjusted, 
and the end of existence established. 

But who is this man of master-mind ? Even " the 
Man of Sorrows," who is touched with the feelings of 



8 REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 

our infirmities, having been tempted. He alone is 
able to open the organ of humanity and draw out 
the Divine harmonies; for shall He not attune each 
redeemed soul to the keynote of His own life ? 
" Father, not my will, but Thine be done." Then 
shall be heard music that Heaven never dreamed of, 
and at which the angels shall veil their faces; for is it 
not the Lamb slain for the world who has given a 
fuller significance to the spirit life? Then shall the 
work of redemption be complete, then shall Christ 
see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied. 



SPIRIT VISION. 

When Jesus was born, Divinity became incar- 
nate, and humanity being then brought into closer 
touch with the spirit world, the simplest minds being 
in sympathy with nature were very naturally also in 
sympathy with God. Thus, to the shepherds keeping 
watch over their flocks, the Great Shepherd of Israel 
appeared, and gently removing the limitations of 
time and space, suddenly there was with the shep- 
herds a multitude of the heavenly host. Now, inas- 
much as they had not been seen approaching, may 
we not surmise that they had been present, though 
unseen, until the spirit vision was allowed ? 



REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 9 

Our Father waiteth to be gracious ; but, as spoiled 
children, our eyes are holden — are dimmed that we 
will not see aright, and in our perverseness we refuse 
to have our tears wiped away and thus find rest unto 
our souls. For " His yoke is easy ; " His burden 
relieves every other care, and endows us with perfect 
liberty. How much of sorrow might we escape if we 
accepted this more abundant life — a life more closely 
in touch with the spirit life. 

4 " God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must 
worship Him in spirit and in truth, for the Father 
seeketh such to worship Him." 

How then shall we thus worship God aright ? Surely 
not in some unnatural asceticism that seeks to put 
asunder what God hath joined together. The full 
possibilities of body and soul are to be sought, that 
each may be glorified ; the just or unjust ridicule of 
the profane should not be courted by peculiarities of 
manner or dress, but true breadth of life should be 
cultivated, which makes possible the gentle courtesy 
of the Master. 

Sometimes we may find it best to do unto others 
as we feel they wish to be done unto ; but at times 
it may be necessary to exercise righteous indignation. 

Remember it is the spirit of power manifested in 
meekness that commands respect 



io REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 



SPIRIT INTERCHANGE. 

The spiritual media of interchange are essentially 
different from those of the material world, as is the 
tribute ; for love begets love. Love should pass 
current everywhere, but the world is sadly out of joint. 
Man endeavours to make money the medium of the 
interchange of sentiment, thus debasing the coin of 
the spiritual realm by his sordidness. Pay your 
commercial debts in money, but your obligations 
to humanity may only be liquidated in the pure gold 
of love. Wealth is the outcome of natural increase ; 
money, however, is not a God-given blessing, but 
was invented by man to promote commerce, and of 
necessity, its tribute is payable to the inventor; but 
as he came into the world without it so also shall he 
depart. Money was introduced to facilitate exchange; 
but, controlled by the unscrupulous, it often becomes 
the greatest blight upon the body politic and its lack 
hampers interchange. Money no longer represents 
value exchanged for it by its holders as was once the 
case in more primitive conditions. 

The acquisition of money too often indicates a 
capacity to outwit its rightful owners, and that 
ability which compels the labourer to accept a mere 
pittance, while unscrupulous manipulators of finance 
luxuriate in their ill-gotten gains. 



REVERIES OF A MYSTIC, II 

It is not intended to criticise adversely those 
financiers who legitimately use their minds for the 
promotion of business enterprise; but those who, by 
tightening financial conditions, force worthy labour 
into the dust, and then trample and spit upon it, 
deserve the most severe condemnation. The mentally 
strong are not exempt from this curse, and lofty 
thinking is often co-existent with lowly living; while 
the- lust of money, like a vampire, sucks the very 
personality of the noblest of men, whose minds have 
become unfitted for the struggle by the hyper-sensi- 
tiveness of refinement. 



SPIRIT UNIFICATION. 

Prayer is the most beautiful and spiritual of all 
phases of worship as it is the conformation of our wills 
with the Divine will; the most perfect models of 
ideal prayer are those of Jesus Christ, which are 
simple and direct, realising the true object of prayer. 
Did you ever consider how foolish it is to pray as if 
necessary to persuade a loving Father to grant 
requests when He is more ready to give than we to 
receive ? 

A dyspeptic sits a hungry man at a royal feast ; his 
prayer may be, " Give me to eat/' but the eating will 
only increase his discomfort, because his stomach is 



12 REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 

not right, and his prayer is all wrong until he brings 
himself into sympathy with the food. It is similar in 
connection with spirit food. There is an abundance; 
but while we are sick of soul, the Truth only adds to 
our discomfort, and we are in no condition to be 
nourished until uplifted into a closer communion. 

Prayer, then, is a means of unifying our wills with 
God's will, not by changing His attitude, but by the 
surrender of our wills, for then only will peace come. 

Cease talking about unanswered prayer when 
there is no sympathy with the Divine. A growth 
in grace should aid our physical regeneration. 

Do not think it an anomaly when people hesitate 
to acknowledge spiritual uplifting of which they have 
had the most evanescent experience, or condemn 
because they cannot tell whence these leadings come 
or whither they go ; are we not told that such is 
everyone that is born of the Spirit ? 

Rather should we doubt the very materialistic expe- 
riences which in certain quarters pass current as the 
" open sesame " to the inner sanctuary of spiritual 
fellowship. Such savour not of the spirit, but of the 
intellect; they are based upon idealised sentiment, 
and are a poor excuse for the boundlessness of 
God's love 

So long as a timid fire-tried soul is under the fear 
of heterodoxy, just so long the spirit may not have 
free course ; for every thought is considered sinful 



REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 13 

which does not coincide with preconceived notions 
of what one's creed will tolerate, and under the cir- 
cumstances not being able to understand the travail 
attendant upon spirit birth, we make no allowance 
for growth in grace ; it does seem so human to thus 
measure the freedom of the spirit by the standards 
suggested by our finite minds ; we suppress our 
emotions instead of allowing our spirits to be 
moulded into unity with the Divine. 

" There's a Divinity that shapes our ends, 
Rough-hew them how we will." 

Should we be afraid to entrust our spirits to the 
care of the Comforter, that He may lead us out of a 
condition of discord into the marvellous harmony of 
Divine love, taking out of us many false vibrations 
due to heredity and environment, which embody the 
natural man ? 

Let us then be brave, caring not whither we be led 
so that our hearts may at last be prepared to accept 
the Truth. It should not be to us a cause of fear, 
for by it we are promised that freedom wherein 
we shall be free indeed. 



SPIRIT REWARDS. 

What is called Heaven must be a condition, a life 
of harmony ; Hell must be the reverse. Thus there 



14 REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 

may be a veritable Hell upon earth, and the Bible 
tells us the Kingdom of God may be within 
us. 

Consider these questions of harmony and discord, 
and our experience of life tells us that conditions 
which harmonise with cultured and refined natures 
constitute for the depraved a positive Hell ; the con- 
verse is also true — an atmosphere congenial to the 
depraved is quite as intolerable to the pure. 

Let us direct our thoughts to spiritual conditions, 
more especially those affecting our future life of 
reward or punishment, in the unrealised hereafter. 
There can be no greater calamity than that God, 
the Spirit of Truth, should leave a man to his own 
devices. The Bible tells us that man will stand self- 
judged and self-condemned in the final judgment, 
and may we not also surmise, self-punished. 

This condition of discord will not cease until we 
are governed by Christ's spirit of freedom ; then we 
shall be free indeed, when we shall be led of the 
Spirit, and joy be our portion. 

Listen to the lament of Jesus over the recalcitrant 
Jews : w Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem ! how often would 
I have gathered thy -children together, even as a hen 
doth gather her chickens under her wings, and ye 
would not ; behold your house is left unto you 
desolate." 

Is it not the consummation of retribution when a 



REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 15 

man is given over to himself? But if we repent and 
are willing in the day of God's power, we are clothed 
with the robe of our Redeemer's righteousness ; and 
when this tabernacle of flesh has been dissolved, 
leaving the spirit untrammelled by the limitations 
of time and space, we shall be free to realise our 
natural desires. 

In the new Jerusalem we shall find the streets of 
spiritual gold, which typify the pathway of duty, 
growing brighter and more bright until it ends in 
that fullest effulgence of glory. How simple ! And 
so much more natural than other more materialistic 
beliefs which incorporate the sordid gold of earthly 
commerce into spiritual fantasies. 

A spiritual fire must be most searching. The 
fire to which conscience adds fuel is much more 
intense than the fire which has power to destroy 
only the material or corporeal body. 

In the very nature of existing conditions we are 
living in a state of probation, and at death our oppor- 
tunity of choice may have ended. 

We have often heard the sceptic laugh at the 
idea of an eternal Hell ; but is it not a natural 
sequence ? Do we not know as a positive fact that 
a greater and higher power is required to raise any- 
thing from a lower plane, if it has no inherent power ? 
Now, in the spiritual life, if this higher power be 
withdrawn, may not a soul plunge downward into 



16 REVERIES OF A MYSTIC. 

depths profound ? From thence, pray, how shall he 
be delivered? 

Can any sane man, except when talking for his 
own aggrandisement, lay what is called damnation to 
the charge of a merciful and long-suffering spiritual 
Father, who waiteth to be gracious, pleading for us 
against our stubborn wills, that living a spiritual 
life, we might also live a life abounding in the riches 
of grace ; thus only is the great adversary to be laid 
low, and Christ to see of the travail of his soul, and 
be satisfied. How great are the harmony, concord, 
and peace enjoyed by the redeemed ! 



PART VI. 



POPULAR HYGIENE 



BY 
SIMPLEX. 



CHICAGO: 

SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
73 West Adams Street, 

1900. 



Copyright, 1900, 

by 

Robert J. Buchanan. 



POPULAR HYGIENE. 



I. 

OUR WONDERFUL BODIES. 

We have in our bodies an ideal of cooperation — 
each organ interdependent but under the control of 
the nervous system, without which beneficent direc- 
tion disease would supplant health. 

These bodies of ours are delicately constituted, ad- 
justing the various functions of their several mem- 
bers to the changeful* conditions of life. 

In the elaborate chemistry of life the nervous sys- 
tem exerts a marvelously responsive control over the 
elemental affinities of nutrition, reconstruction and 
elimination. 

Those of a delicate nervous temperament are, not 
infrequently, harassed by conditions of defective 
elimination produced be enfeebled nerve-tone, which 
create in the system a "vicious circle." 

First — Defective nerve-tone superinduced by al- 
most any excess. 

Second — Imperfect elimination and consequent re- 
tention of deleterious secretions. 

Third — A self-poisoned nervous system, with con- 
sequently increased debility and deterioration of 
nerve fiber. 

Thus is the progress of retrogression, until the 
victim reluctantly lays aside his avocations, in ex- 
treme cases, to seek the protection of some institu- 
tion, but sometimes spared this dire humiliation, be- 



4 POPULAR HYGIENE. 

ing relieved of life's duties by the messenger of peace, 
who comes so surely to each tired mortal at the 
end of his pilgrimage. 

Nature does not furnish a panacea for the ills of 
humanity; her products may alleviate, but nowhere 
is found a charmed fountain which returns youth 
to old age, sending anew the thrill of freshness into 
the vital fluid, sluggish with effete secretions, where 
should be found the elements of reconstruction; nor 
is it desirable to remain immature in form, features 
or feelings, as the mild, mellowing and maturing 
touch of time is laid gently upon our heads, be- 
sprinkling them with silver sheen; but it is a con- 
summation to be desired that we grow old gracefully, 
our spirits retaining perennial youth, until gently 
ushered into that summer land, when we rest from 
our labors in the quiet sleep of death. 



POPULAR HYGIENE. 5 

II. 

FUNCTIONS OF THE SKIN. 

The skin is the organ of our bodies which is most 
in evidence ; too often it is shamefully neglected, and 
as a consequence becomes conspicuous in undesir- 
able ways. 

This intricate covering protects us against unto- 
ward influences, and is the greatest agent in elim- 
inating the causes of internal disease, yet we seldom 
consider that it may require some special attention; 
its superficial area is great and its immense surface 
contains several millions of pores, acting automat- 
ically. These are the safety valves through which 
are expelled the poisonous by-products of nutrition 
and reconstruction, before they vitiate the entire 
system; it is important that we keep this net-work 
of cutaneous action in the vitality which will keep 
us pure within. 

The chief excretory organs are the liver, the kid- 
neys, the lungs and the skin; is it not reasonable to 
conclude that when the skin fails in its functions, 
there must be forced upon the others many poison- 
ous secretions for which their delicate structures 
were never intended; hence the morbid results of 
high-living vitiate the system, unless the skin is kept 
in vital activity, under which condition men have be- 
come gluttonous with seeming impunity; but let the 
skin become deranged, and such indiscretions are 
followed by the most dire retribution. 

Liver troubles, Bright's disease of the Kidneys, 



6 POPULAR HYGIENE. 

Tuberculosis and other diseases have ruthlessly cut 
down the finest specimens of the race in the very 
prime of their usefulness, and, too often, the "silver 
cord" has snapped when the strains of mature life 
came, and the "golden bowl" has been broken when 
the fulfillment of destiny seemed almost achieved. 

Children remain robust so long as they run 
around and perspire freely; so also laborers, earning 
their bread by the sweat of their brows, digest the 
strongest diet and increase in muscular tone; the 
pampered stomach of the aristocrat cannot assim- 
ilate the strong food of the workers. This is due 
largely to the comparative inactivity of his skin. 

Is it not disgraceful that enlightened members of 
society should degrade the skin into a condition 
of suspended vitality, and such should arise out of 
this lethargy of dirt, decay and death, by toning the 
skin into renewed vigor and consequent beauty. 

The results of neglecting the skin are far-reach- 
ing, for too often the parents have eaten sour grapes, 
and their children's teeth are set on edge; but such 
is the law of heredity, and parents apparently in 
ruddy health, but self-indulgent have no surplus vital- 
ity to bequeath to their offspring. 

It is the duty of all, and we shall give a physical 
account, to keep our bodies pure, which may be ac- 
complished by proper attention to the functions of 
the skin ; then shall peace and childlike vigor replace 
the present condition of lassitude. 

Vapor bathing is often most desirable to quickly 
counteract the defective action of the skin, as it 



POPULAR HYGIENE. 7 

produces a condition in the skin which induces the 
blood to freely circulate in its network of capillaries ; 
then there will be no need for external beautifiers 
when the whole body flushes with the return of 
health; then the eyes will sparkle with an enquick- 
ened lustre; thus the paramount importance of an 
active skin cannot be over-estimated. 



8 POPULAR HYGIENE. 

III. 
THE BLOOD IS THE LIFE. 

The blood is wonderfully constituted, made up of 
living, moving organisms, ever active for good or 
ill, stagnating only in death. 

The circulation conveys nutriment to reconstruct 
the cells of our bodies, and returns with the carbon 
di-oxide, the product of combustion, to be purified 
by elimination, and revitalized by the appropriation 
of oxygen in the lungs and also through the skin. 

Derangements of the nervous system often pre- 
dispose to retain in the blood those deleterious se- 
cretions which should be expelled, or otherwise the 
entire body becomes involved. 

In the animal economy there is a peculiar prin- 
ciple of cell-heredity, which predisposes to accus- 
tomed conditions of nutrition; thus the drunkard's 
cells, having been constructed under alcoholic con- 
ditions, demand their continuance, "at the last it 
biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder." 

It is difficult to retain a sweet disposition with 
blood contaminated by the humors of the body, for 
when the blood is impure it must affect the delicate 
structure of the nervous system which controls the 
entire body. 

Let us avoid thatincubus anto-intoxication or self- 
poisoning, to which specialists have attributed that 
languor and general indisposition, when otherwise 
the functions of the body appear to be normal; let 
us expel these irritating poisons, which slowly sap 
our vitality, making us old and careworn before the 



POPULAR HYGIENE. 9 

prime of life and shattering our nervous systems in 
the very zenith of our usefulness. 

May we not grow old peacefully as we gradually 
lay aside this earthly tabernacle, remembering that 
our duty is to keep undefiled these wonderful tem- 
ples, for out of them are the issues of life ; "then shall 
be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death 
is swallowed up in victory." 



PART VII. 



HARVEST GLEANINGS 



BY 
SIMPLEX. 



CHICAGO: 

SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
73 West Adams Street, 

1900. 



Copyright, 1900, 

by 

Robert J. Buchanan. 



HARVEST aLEAlVINGS. 



I. 

INSPIRATION. 

I had a dream one night which thrilled me through 
and through, and I wept when I awoke in the dull 
winter morning, to find the glory had vanished from 
my spirit, and I was left to face the bufferings of the 
storm, without inspiration, and with a heavy heart, 
when the voice of God whispered sweet words ol 
comfort to me and I went out to fight the battle of 
life anew, and found that the storm induced zest and 
stimulation, renewing my flagging energies so that 
my nerves tingled and I was strong to do my day's 
work. The thrill had produced only a reflex glow 
soon to be effaced, and in no way comparable to the 
warmth which came to my heart under trial, with an 
inspiration surmounting obstacles, conquering oppo- 
sition and bringing light and peace. 



4 HARVEST GLEANINGS. 

II. 
CHRISTIANITY. 

Jesus Christ has told us that the field is the world, 
and no Christian can contradict the Master; we are 
not told to bring people into the church, but are 
commanded to compel men to come into the king- 
dom of Christ, who said: "My kingdom is not of 
this world." 

Beyond question, Jesus Christ instituted the church 
upon lines very different from those upon which 
ecclesiasticism is built. The attention of the thought- 
ful is directed to this question. 

There can be no uniformity among the different 
sects until each will esteem Christ better than itself 
and cease the eternal struggle for aggrandizement; 
it was for preaching this principle that Jesus Christ 
was crucified and so many of His saints before and 
since have suffered martyrdom. 

So long as men have different minds there will 
be a necessity for sects differing in accordance with 
their varying thoughts ; one cannot tolerate the 
hypocrisy of men accepting the emoluments of any 
sect, while sapping its foundations which they have 
sworn to uphold. "How dwelleth the love of God 
in such as these ?" Let them come out from the flesh 
pots, and not fatten at the expense of those whose 
doctrines they despise. 

There is a necessity for the church to-day as in 
the past, but it will behoove Christians to seek the 
solution of the problem which faces them in these 
latter days. 



HARVEST GLEANINGS. 5 

It is among the followers of Christ that one nat- 
urally looks for courtesy based upon the fundamental 
principles of life and not upon the amenities of so- 
ciety; it is said that some men are not gentlemen 
in the opinions of their valets, with whom the out- 
ward social polish is discarded with its trappings. 
Happy that man who is a gentleman at heart. 

One can always rely upon a true gentleman in 
every emergency, with the assurance that he will 
shield, as did Jesus Christ, who was the ideal gentle- 
man ; the words gentleman and Christian are synon- 
ymous. 

We naturally look for courtesy in the church; the 
barren fig tree drew upon itself the blight following 
the curse pronounced against it, and to some think- 
ers the barren fig tree is a type of certain phases 
of the church life. 

We have been told in Holy Writ that the wicked 
and the righteous must grow together until the har- 
vest. The results would lead one to assume that 
there are many in the control of ecclesiastical affairs 
who are not the followers of Jesus Christ. 



HARVEST GLEANINGS. 



III. 

MUSIC. 

In the study of music one must first overcome 
the physical limitations by which mortals are re- 
strained from the fullest realization of spiritual en- 
joyment; when these physical limitations have been 
mastered, and the instrument obeys the will, then 
the intellect may be dominated by the subjective 
consciousness. When musicians overcome physical 
limitations they give expression to sublime harmonies 
as did the old masters, but there are still heights of 
spiritual exaltation to which music may not aspire. 

"But far on the deep there are billows 
That never will break on the beach, 

And I have heard songs in the silence, 
That never shall float into speech, 

And I have had dreams in the valley, 
Too lofty for language to reach." 

To those who lack the power of expressing their 
feelings in words music may come as an outlet for 
sentiment ; in such cases it has become the handmaid 
of inspiration. 

Do not confound sentimentality with spiritual ex- 
altation, as the spirit is often the most refreshed 
when most devoid of excitement. 



HARVEST GLEANINGS. 7 

IV. 
THE BOEHM FLUTE. 

The flute is the most charming of wind instru- 
ments, combining with its soft mellifluous tone the 
vibratory quality which gives charm to all stringed 
instruments, more particularly those of the violin 
family. 

The flute tone in its perfection, is almost the coun- 
terpart of the human voice, which in a measure re- 
sembles a wind instrument having vibratory, or string 
qualities, of tone, given to it by the vocal chords. 

The flute as improved by Theobald Boehm is per- 
haps the most perfect form of this delightful instru- 
ment, and as such it is generally known as the 
Boehm Flute, to distinguish it from the common or 
German flute. 



It is in the head joint of the flute that the tone 
is produced, and this in the Boehm flute is slightly 
conical in bore, the larger end being toward the body 
of the instrument, which is of cylinder bore, having 
stops or keys of equal size, except in the case of one 
or two openings ; thus is the quality of tone improved 
and made uniform. 

The theory of producing tones upon the flute is 
simple, and similar to that of the pipe organ, con- 
sisting in the vibration of air in a column or cylinder ; 
the greater its length, the lower the tone produced, 
by the reduction in the number of vibrations; the 



8 HARVEST GLEANINGS. 

chromatic scale is produced by successively short- 
ening this vibrating cylinder by the opening of keys. 
The flute is acknowledged to be of very ancient 
origin ; many old pictures represent it, in one or other 
form, the oldest perhaps being the Pipes of Pan — 
a series of individual cylinders or flutes of varying 
lengths united, being played upon by blowing across 
their uniform ends while being passed across the 
lips transversely. Without taxing our imagination 
have we not in the Pan Pipes the primitive form of a 
pipe organ, which instrument some old Scotch Pres- 
byterian antagonists have scornfully called a "Kist 
o' whistles?" 



HARVEST GLEANINGS. 



V. 
A TRADITION. 

There is a story that Aaron, the brother of Moses> 
ma'de the first flute ; it was in this wise : One even- 
ing, as he lay beside the water, he thought he heard 
the whisper of an angel; listening intently, he found 
to his delight, that the music came from the earth; 
following in the direction whence the sounds were 
wafted, he came upon a bed of reeds, and discovered 
that the zephyrs were blowing across some which 
had been broken, thus producing the angelic mel- 
odies. He thereupon constructed the first flute, after 
the idea conveyed by the broken reeds. 

Of course this story is clearly a fiction; but does 
it not emphasize a great truth? — that if we listen to 
the voices of nature we may therein hear the voice 
of God, as did Adam and Eve when walking in the 
Garden of Eden in the cool of the evening; and 
having heard, it is our duty to make of ourselves 
instruments of service. 



10 HARVEST GLEANINGS. 



VI. 

A PARABLE. 

Some one has given this fable concerning the flute : 
A Flute was heard to complain that it had been a 
beautiful stick of wood, and now, being bored out and 
pierced, it bore slight resemblance to its pristine 
beauty; the listener, being a philosopher, made an- 
swer : Oh, foolish Flute ! dost thou not know that in 
thy present form thou art far more useful and much 
more beautiful than in the past, when, as a mere 
stick of inert wood, thou wert fit fuel for the fire ; in 
thy present form, a master musician may draw from 
thy pierced sides the melodies of heaven. 

Thus even a flute may preach its sermon of con- 
tentment, or the reverse, to those who are willing 
to hear its story. 



HARVEST GLEANINGS. 11 

VII. 
THE COMMON PEOPLE. 

That heterogenous mass of mankind, called "the 
people," is too frequently like a flock of sheep hav- 
ing no shepherd. 

When self-appointed leaders offer their services 
too many are found who will follow blindly wher- 
ever they may be led, even when it is manifestly to 
their detriment, being as a rule grossly ignorant of 
the dangers which threaten them. 

The masses must have leaders to educate and 
guide them, but they are too often used to promote 
the selfish interests of political intriguers. 

If skillfully handled the common people very quick- 
ly grasp the ideas of self-government ; but they must 
be led step by step without coercion. 

It is folly to expect plain people to accept for facts, 
that which they cannot comprehend; they must as- 
similate the truths presented before appreciating 
their value, and how otherwise can they be educated 
except by a teacher? 

As was said before, our fellow citizens must be 
subject to judicious leading and even the so-called 
anarchy, which blatantly denies recognition to all 
law and order, must of necessity subject itself to the 
most rigid observance of practical dictation from 
its leaders. 

When citizens become indifferent to the politics 
of their country they relapse into that animal sordid- 
ness which is found to a most manifest extent in 



12 HARVEST GLEANINGS. 

those lands where freedom has been denied to the 
subjects of feudal despotism. 

There is a universal freemasonry among the lit- 
erary elite as in our social relations which has its 
passwords, signs and grips which are most unmis- 
takable to the initiated, as it is proverbial that one 
gentleman recognizes another without either creden- 
tials or pedigree; but the temple of knowledge is 
not thus safeguarded, but offers ready access to all 
alike, for "he that seeketh, findeth," and "to him that 
knocketh, it shall be opened," and very often the 
deeper spiritual meanings of life are hidden from the 
wise and prudent and revealed unto babes; if such 
simplicity be folly, then by all means call me a fool. 

Many illiterate men are well educated, meaning 
that their brains are thoroughly alert, and of this 
we have proofs in the cases of some of our success- 
ful business men, some of whom content themselves 
by having smart college-bred boys and girls who 
spend their money and often have a contempt for 
their poor rich "paw and maw," who, in many cases, 
are made of that stuff which does not tarnish and 
which has the true ring of humanity. I like these 
honest people and also respect their ability to in- 
crease their capital, as did the faithful steward in the 
Bible, and I would refer these supercilious young 
gentlemen and ladies to the Fifth Commandment, 
which is the first commandment with promise. 



HARVEST GLEANINGS. 13 

VIII. 

SOCIAL AMENITIES. 

There are many men and women who neither com- 
prehend nor appreciate the etiquette by which so- 
ciety strives to safeguard itself against the animal 
propensities of its members ; make no mistake when 
you hear the counterpart of a grunt, but look for 
the hog, even in high places, and beware of the con- 
sequences when you cast your pearls before him. 



IX. 

TRUE EQUALITY. 

In sunny youth the boys we met at school were 
our peers, for the idea of human brotherhood had not 
then been crushed out of our lives. 



X. 

LOVE. 

We receive at our mothers' breasts the golden 
thread which leads us through the darkest hours of 
life out into the bright sunlight of God's love, of 
which it is a type. 



14 HARVEST GLEANINGS. 

XL 
ECONOMY. 

If you wish to avoid much financial distress, meas- 
ure your liabilities so that they do not exceed your 
assets, as a very small sum may be the price of your 
bondage. 



XII. 

ENTHUSIASM. 

Enthusiasm is like a conflagration, setting- on fire 
everything with which it comes into contact. 



XIII. 

SATISFACTION. 

We get out of life just that for which we have the 
capacity or inclination. 



PART VIII. 



MY BELIEF 



BY 
SIMPLEX. 



CHICAGO: 

SIMPLEX PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
73 West Adams Stbeet. 

1900. 



Copyright, 1900, 

by 

Robert J. Buchanan. 



M Y BELIEF. 



MY BELIEF. 

- I believe in God, the Father; in Jesus Christ, His 
Son; and in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who 
proceeds from the Father and the Son, who together, 
as the Trinity, are worshiped as one God, the Maker 
of all things. 

I believe that God governs the world, but that 
the free moral agency of man is not thereby lessened, 
and that sin is his own willful act, otherwise there 
could be no responsibility and God tempteth no man. 

I believe that God created man in His own image ; 
that our first parents became alienated through dis- 
obedience; that man, by nature, is antagonistic to 
God; that spiritual harmony is secured through 
Jesus Christ alone; and that God desiring this har- 
mony, has revealed Himself in nature; through 
man's conscience ; by revelation ; and in Jesus Christ. 

I believe that the Holy Spirit reveals truths to men 
who are in spiritual harmony with God; that the 
Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit and is able 
to make wise unto salvation, and is the standard of 
right living. 

I believe that God was manifest in Jesus Christ, 
who became man, and was tempted, yet without sin; 



4 MY BELIEF. 

suffered; died on the Cross at Calvary; and rose 
again, thereby declaring the love of God to man ; that 
He passed into the spirit world, and has sent the 
Holy Spirit — the Comforter, to convince of sin, and 
reconcile men to God, so that they may recover their 
birthright as His children. 

I believe that the life is the best evidence of har- 
mony with God or the reverse; and that growth in 
grace follows abiding under the shadow of the Al- 
mighty. 

I believe that Jesus Christ came to earth to rees- 
tablish harmony with God, and that its fruits are 
joy, long-suffering and peace; that Christians are 
responsible to Jesus Christ, as their substitute, and 
that through Him all have access to God without 
other intervention. 

I believe in the invisible, spiritual Church which 
comprises all believers in the truths preached by 
Christ; and that it is guided and governed by the 
Holy Spirit, who shall lead us into all truth. 

I believe that the visible church is necessary so 
that all those who think alike may associate for the 
promotion of spiritual growth upon earth, and the 
conversion of the world; that the Bible determines 
its beliefs and forms of worship; that it should be 
consecrated to the upbuilding of Christ's cause who 
said "My kingdom is not of this world;" that there 
should be observed two sacred duties : Baptism, as 
a sign of union with God ; and the Lord's Supper, in 
remembrance of Jesus Christ, as a means of spirit 
communion; that it should remember the first day 
of the week, the day upon which Jesus Christ arose 



MY BELIEF. 5 

from the dead, as a day of rest and spiritual refresh- 
ment. 

I believe in the triumph of truth; in the glorious 
coming of God; in the final retributive justice, 
wherein each unredeemed soul shall stand self-con- 
demned and shall be self-punished; but that God 
desireth not the death of the sinner, but rather that 
he shall have eternal life. 

I believe that Christians should stand fast in the 
liberty wherein Christ doth make them free. 

SIMPLEX. 



• ;,] 



